Implementing Ultra Violet Light as Disease Control in Apple and Pear Nurseries and Newly Established Orchards

Commodities

• Fruits: apples, pears, quinces

Practices

• Crop Production: nurseries
• Pest Management: cultural control

Dr. Kerik Cox, professor at Cornell, has published compelling research on the use of ultra violet light (UV-C) to treat several prolific apple diseases including fireblight. Thus far his research and trials have been focused solely in orchard systems but the principal is even better suited for nursery crops.  

 He has articles showing the effectiveness in killing fireblight bacteria in vitro and has published protocols and plans for implementing this system into orchard management. While using ultra violet light in the orchard system is proven effective it can be difficult to implement because by late season foliage and fruit are too dense for adequate light penetration. 

Nursery trees are smaller, a consistent size, and lack fruit crop. We will be working with Dr. Cox to redesign and build a nursery specific light rig and use it as an addition to the spray regiment in our nursery.

It is our hope that this system will decrease the number of trees lost to fireblight annually, decrease the reliance on chemicals that the bacteria can build resistance to.

If effective, this project will greatly benefit other nurseries and young orchards.

We will document this process, and post updates including replicable plans on the Cummins Nursery Website, Newsletter and Social Media platforms. Dr. Cox prioritizes outreach and working with growers and will continue to share these results.

By building an ultraviolet light array specific to the spacing and size of nursery trees or young apple/pear orchards, we hope to apply Dr. Cox’s research in a way that will supplement existing nursery/young orchard management practices, providing better control of fireblight and other diseases. The younger the tree, the more susceptible it is to fireblight.